© Scottish Sea Farms
Members of Holyrood’s Rural Affairs and Islands committee (RAIC) visited salmon producer Scottish Sea Farms yesterday as part of a fact-finding tour to gather information for the Scottish government’s inquiry into the salmon farming sector.
The RAIC is looking into the implementation of recommendations from a previous inquiry by its predecessor, the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee (RECC), in 2018, and has so far heard from a range of interests, including NGOs, aquaculture scientists, regulators, and marine consenting and spatial planning experts.
Six MSPs assembled at the salmon producer’s Barcaldine freshwater hatchery near Oban, meeting people from across the business, as well as representatives from sector body Salmon Scotland and other salmon producers due to appear before the committee in the sector evidence session on October 2. Following the salmon sector’s appearance next week, the inquiry will hear from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, on October 9.
“The MSPs were able to talk to the people who are on the frontline of farming every day, observe the care and passion that goes into their work, and discover what salmon farming means to them and their families,” said Anne Anderson, Scottish Sea Farms head of sustainability and development, in a press release.
“No questions were off-limits and hopefully we were able to address some of the misconceptions about the sector and build on the politicians’ understanding of a way of life that brings immense benefits to rural communities,” Anderson added.
The RAIC members – who included Convener Finlay Carson, Deputy Convener Beatrice Wishart, Emma Harper, Rhoda Grant, Emma Roddick and Arianne Burgess – were also taken out to Dunstaffnage marine farm to see a fish farm in action.
"Our sincere hope is that the insights provided will, in turn, help the committee to help us through their findings. Many of the issues that we faced in 2018 we still face today, so we are hoping to see positive change from the inquiry, particularly regarding regulation," said Ronnie Soutar, Scottish Sea Farms head of veterinary services.
Tavish Scott, chief executive of trade body Salmon Scotland, added: "We hope this visit will support the work of the committee and we look forward to appearing in front of the committee and answering their questions in a week’s time."
